Vitaly Laletin dismantled Kamil Jablonski 4-0 at EVW 27 to claim the right-arm super heavyweight world title and become the owner of the Golden Gauntlet.
With this victory, Vitaly now holds both the right- and left-arm East vs West super heavyweight championship titles. He became the first armwrestler in the promotion’s history to accomplish this.
Although his recent loss to arguably the best version of Devon Larratt left a blemish on his right-arm record, Vitaly has now established himself as one of the most dangerous armwrestlers in the world on both arms.
How Did the Match Go?
As we discussed in our previous analysis of the match, Kamil struggles to generate the same threat once he finds himself on the defensive side of the table.
Vitaly exploited that weakness from the opening round.
He was consistently a fraction faster than Kamil, dragging him towards the losing side of the table. Once Kamil lost that initial position, he had very little left to offer against the Russian giant.
However, I wouldn’t give all the credit to Vitaly’s speed. His technical adjustment deserves just as much recognition.
Vitaly understood that Kamil’s biggest threat was his ability to establish his press position. Kamil needed enough access to his pronation to engage his frame and bring his shoulder into the match.
Vitaly cupped Kamil’s wrist and surged through him with overwhelming side pressure.
He tried everything he could to flop press Vitaly, but his attempts were unsuccessful. By the time he reached the third round, he was already 3-0 down.
In the fourth round, Kamil attempted something different.
He went for an open-arm toproll, putting everything he had into attacking Vitaly’s cup. But even that adjustment wasn’t enough to stop the Siberian giant.
Vitaly blasted through him once again, completing a dominant 4-0 victory.
Vitaly Made a Huge Mistake
After the match, Vitaly called out the Italian Gladiator, Ermes Gasparini, for a rematch.
He wants to avenge his December 2023 defeat at King of the Table 9.
Personally, I think this is a huge mistake.
Ermes is a stylistic nightmare for Vitaly. His posting-heavy, back-pressure-driven toproll presents a very different challenge from the one Kamil brought to the table.
But there’s another problem with this matchup.
Ermes has just suffered a convincing 4-1 defeat against Artyom Morozov at EVW 24.
So what does Vitaly actually gain from beating him right now?
Even if Vitaly wins convincingly, the victory won’t carry the same weight it would if Ermes came into the match after proving himself against another elite opponent.
I think Vitaly should give Ermes some time to bounce back and establish himself again before offering him a shot at the title.
What do you think? Should Vitaly give Ermes an immediate rematch, or should the Italian have to earn his way back into title contention?
Let me know in the comments.
